<p>The Court rejected complaints raised by rival internet-based communication providers Cisco and Messagenet that the European Commission was wrong to approve the takeover in 2011.</p><p>The European Commission had assessed whether the proposed takeover at the time would have given rise to competition concerns in both the consumer and business markets for internet-based communications services.</p><p>The Commission considered that the merger would enable Microsoft to hold between 80 and 90% of the market for consumer video communications made on Windows-based PCs, once the market shares for Skype and Microsoft's existing 'Windows Live Messenger' (WLM) service were added together. Cisco and Messagenet had pointed to this as demonstrating evidence of the effect the deal would have on competition. However, the General Court said that other factors the Commission had assessed were also relevant to that debate.</p><p>In its ruling the General Court said that the Commission was right to consider that there is a faster growing market for smartphones and tablets than there is for PCs and that the WLM had a "weak presence" on those non-PC platforms. It said the merged entity "faces strong competition" in the consumer video communications market as a whole from companies such as Apple and Google.</p><p><a href="http://www.out-law.com/en/articles/2013/december/eu-court-dismisses-complaints-about-sanctioning-of-microsofts-takeover-of-skype/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.cio.com.au/article/534005/eu_court_rejects_cisco_challenge_microsoft-skype_merger/">EU court rejects Cisco&#039;s challenge to Microsoft-Skype merger</a> (CIO Magazine)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dHMokxmnmUzcCXM7dP7qvSdLufMgM&ned=us">91 additional articles.</a></p>